Bosnian phrasebook

From World travel guide

The modern Bosnian language is a newly defined classification of the Serbo-Croatian tongue. After secession from Yugoslavia, the Bosnian government declared the official language to be called "Bosnian" rather than "Serbo-Croatian." However, Serbo-Croatian, "Croatian," "Serbian," and "Bosnian" are the same language, with minor structural & idiomatic differences. Bosnian (Serbo-Croatian) is a Southern Slavonic tongue in the Slavonic group of languages of the Indo-European family. International linguistsic authorities continue to call the language "Serbo-Croatian." It is closely related to Slovenian, Macedonian & Bulgarian. Nouns have gender and cases, and the past tense is conjugated by gender while other tenses are conjugated by person.

The language itself should not prove difficult to pronounce. Grammatical complexities will however present challenges to those not familiar with highly inflected languages, such as Latin or Russian. Inflection is the grammatical process of altering the noun to indicate its position & function in the sentence. The noun is said to have "case." Whereas English nouns are defined in the sentence through the use of prepositions - as in the sentence "Mary throws the ball to John," inflected languages alter the form of the noun, so "John" in the example would appear as the object in the sentence in the accusative case (indicated by the change in the suffix, and less frequently the prefix). The same sentence in Bosnian/S-C would have no preposition "to" as in "Mary baca loptu Johnu." Notice that "John" received a "u" as a suffix, which immediately governs the meaning of the word "Johnu" and dictates its function in the sentence. Inflected languages are therefore more precise since confusion as to the intended meaning rarely occurs. In another similarity with Latin, Bosnian/Serbo-Croatian does not use articles.

Certain idiomatic differences exist in the Serbian and Croatian, mostly as a result of regional applications. Some phrases, such as alahimanet and merhaba, are relatively unique in Bosnian usage, as they are a remnant of Islamic (and therefore Arabic) influences. Since they are foreign words, much like many Italian words found in the Croatian language, they do not constitute a point of difference between the "Croatian" and the "Bosnian" forms of language. The use of "merhaba" in Bosnia is not unlike using an idiomatic French statement in English, such as "vis a vis" or "au contraire." To assert that the Bosnian language is in some way in a different class altogether from Serbo-Croatian merely due to the application of certain phrases & idioms from the period of Turkish occupation is to do an injustice against the nature of all languages. However, consulting separate pages on the Croatian & Serbian phrasebooks may prove beneficial for exposure to regional differences.

Contents 1 Pronunciation guide 1.1 Consonants 2 Phrase list 2.1 Basics 2.2 Problems 2.3 Numbers 2.4 Time 2.4.1 Clock time 2.4.2 Duration 2.4.3 Days 2.4.4 Months 2.4.5 Writing time and date 2.5 Colors 2.6 Transportation 2.6.1 Bus and train 2.6.2 Directions 2.6.3 Taxi 2.7 Lodging 2.8 Money 2.9 Eating 2.10 Shopping 2.11 Driving 3 Learning more

Pronunciation guide

Bosnian pronunciation is fairly phonetic and straighforward. Each letter represents only one sound, and multiple sounds are produced only when several letters are combined. The letter "A" represents the sound "ah" in Bosnian/S-C, and it only represents that sounds. Unlike in English, where the letter "A" stands for numerous sounds - such as "Ah, eh, aaa, ehy" & so forth, Bosnian/SC letters only represent basic sounds. Speakers of Spanish and Italian will find most sounds in Bosnian to be similar to the ones in their own languages.

Consonants

Bosnian consonants are crisper than their counterparts in the English language. Approximating the corresponding consonants in Italian or Russian is closer to their true pronunciation.

b 

like 'b' in "bed"

c 

like 'ts' in "tsetse fly"

č 

pronounced like "ch", but with the tongue up on the roof of the mouth

ć 

like "ch" as in "chile"

d 

like 'd' in "dog"

dž 

very close to "j" as in judge

đ 

like "j" as in "judge" but softer

f 

like 'ph' in "phone"

g 

like 'g' in "go"

h 

a little more emphasized that the 'h' in "help". Somewhat close to the Spanish jota (j)

j 

like 'y' in "yellow"

k 

like 'c' in "cat"

l 

like 'l' in "love"

lj 

no English counterpart. Say 'l' and 'j' together really fast and morph them into one sound.

m 

like 'm' in "mother"

n 

like 'n' in "nice"

nj 

like "ny" in "Sonya"

p 

like 'p' in "pappy"

r 

rolled slightly, like the Spanish r in "pero"

s 

like 'ss' in "hiss"

š 

like "sh" in "sheep"

t 

like 't' in "top"

v 

like 'v' in "victory"

z 

like 'z' in "haze"

ž 

like the "s" in "measure"

Phrase list

Basics

Hello. 

Dobar dan (doh bahr dahn)

Hello. (informal) 

Zdravo. (zuh-drah-voh) or Merhaba (mehr ha bah)

How are you? 

Kako ste? (formal)

Fine, thank you. 

Dobro sam, hvala. (doh broh sahm, huh vah lah)

What is your name? 

Kako se zovete?

My name is ______ . 

Zovem se ______ .

Nice to meet you. 

Drago mi je.

Please. 

Molim.

Thank you. 

Hvala.

You're welcome. 

Nema na čemu.

Yes. ("formal") 

Da (dah)

Yes. ("informal") 

Ja (yah)

No. 

Ne.

Excuse me. (getting attention) 

Oprostite.

Excuse me. (begging pardon) 

Izvinite.

I'm sorry. 

Oprostite.

I'm sorry. ("expressing condolence"): Zao mi je.

Goodbye 

Alahimanet (religious implication) or Zbogom

Goodbye (informal) 

do viđenja (doh vee jeh nyah) or ćao (chaoo)

I can't speak Bosnian [well]. 

Ne govorim dobro bosanski.

Do you speak English? 

Da li govorite engleski?

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

Da li iko ovdje govori engleski?

Help! 

Upomoć!

Look out! 

Pazite!

Good morning. 

Dobro jutro.

Good evening. 

Dobro većer.

Good night. 

Laku noć.

Good night (to sleep) 

Laku noć.

I don't understand. 

Ne razumijem.

Where is the toilet? 

Gdje je WC?

Problems

Leave me alone. 

Pusti me na miru.

Don't touch me! 

Ne diraj me!

I'll call the police. 

Zvaću policiju.

Police! 

Policija!

Stop! Thief! 

Stanite! Lopov!

I need your help. 

Treba mi vaša pomoć.

It's an emergency. 

Hitno je.

I'm lost. 

Izgubio(m) izgubila(f) sam se.

I lost my bag. 

Izgubio(m) izgubila(f) sam torbu.

I lost my wallet. 

Izgubio(m) izgubila(f) sam novčanik.

I'm sick. 

Bolestan(m)/bolesna(f) sam.

I've been injured. 

Povrijedio/povrijedila sam se.

I need a doctor. 

Treba mi doktor.

Can I use your phone? 

Mogu li se poslužiti telefonom?

Numbers

1 

jedan (...)

2 

dva (...)

3 

tre (...)

4 

four (...)

5 

pet (...)

6 

six (...)

7 

sedam (...)

8 

osam (....)

9 

devet (...)

10 

deset (...)

11 

jedanest (...)

12 

dvanest (...)

13 

trinest (...)

14 

fourteen (...)

15 

petnest (...)

16 

sixteen (...)

17 

sedamnest (...)

18 

osamnest (...)

19 

devetnest (...)

20 

dvadeset (...)

21 

twenty one (...)

22 

twenty two (...)

23 

twenty three (...)

30 

thirty (...)

40 

forty (...)

50 

fifty (...)

60 

sixty (...)

70 

seventy (...)

80 

eighty (...)

90 

ninety (...)

100 

one hundred (...)

200 

two hundred (...)

300 

three hundred (...)

1000 

one thousand (...)

2000 

two thousand (...)

1,000,000 

one million (...)

1,000,000,000 

one thousand million in UK, one billion in USA

1,000,000,000,000 

one billion in UK, one trillion in USA

number _____ (train, bus, etc.) 

number _____ (...)

half 

half (...)

less 

less (...)

more 

more (...)

Time

now (sada)

later (kasnije)

before (ranije) or (posle)

morning (jutro)

afternoon (popodne)

evening (večer)

night (noć)

Clock time

one o'clock AM 

one o'clock AM (...)

two o'clock AM 

two o'clock AM (...)

noon 

noon (...)

one o'clock PM 

one o'clock PM (...)

two o'clock PM 

two o'clock PM (...)

midnight 

midnight (...)

Duration

_____ minute(s) 

_____ minute(s) (...)

_____ hour(s) 

_____ hour(s) (...)

_____ day(s) 

_____ day(s) (...)

_____ week(s) 

_____ week(s) (...)

_____ month(s) 

_____ month(s) (...)

_____ year(s) 

_____ year(s) (...)

Days

today 

today (danas)

yesterday 

yesterday (juče)

tomorrow 

tomorrow (sutra)

this week 

this week (...)

last week 

last week (...)

next week 

next week (...)

Sunday 

Sunday (Nedjelja)

Monday 

Monday (Ponedjeljak')

Tuesday 

Tuesday (Utorak)

Wednesday 

Wednesday (Srijeda)

Thursday 

Thursday (...)

Friday 

Friday (Petak)

Saturday 

Saturday (Subota)

Months

If speakers of the language commonly use a calendar other than the Gregorian, explain it here and list its months. See Hebrew phrasebook for an example.

January 

January (...)

February 

February (...)

March 

March (...)

April 

April (...)

May 

May (...)

June 

June (...)

July 

July (...)

August 

August (...)

September 

September (...)

October 

October (...)

November 

November (...)

December 

December (...)

Writing time and date

Give some examples how to write clock times and dates if it differs from English.

Colors

black 

black (crna)

white 

white (bijela)

gray 

gray (siva)

red 

red (crvena)

blue 

blue (plava)

yellow 

yellow (...)

green 

green (zelena)

orange 

orange (...)

purple 

purple (...)

brown 

brown (...)

Transportation

Bus and train

How much is a ticket to _____? 

How much is a ticket to _____? (...)

One ticket to _____, please. 

One ticket to _____, please. (...)

Where does this train/bus go? 

Where does this train/bus go? (...)

Where is the train/bus to _____? 

Where is the train/bus to _____? (...)

Does this train/bus stop in _____? 

Does this train/bus stop in _____? (...)

When does the train/bus for _____ leave? 

When does the train/bus for _____ leave? (...)

When will this train/bus arrive in _____? 

When will this bus arrive in _____? (...)

Directions

How do I get to _____ ? 

How do I get to _____ ? (...)

...the train station? 

...the train station? (...)

...the bus station? 

...the bus station? (...)

...the airport? 

...the airport? (...)

...downtown? 

...downtown? (...)

...the youth hostel? 

...the youth hostel? (...)

...the _____ hotel? 

...the _____ hotel? (...)

...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? 

...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? (...)

Where are there a lot of... 

Where are there a lot of... (...)

...hotels? 

...hotels? (...)

...restaurants? 

...restaurants? (...)

...bars? 

...bars? (...)

...sites to see? 

...sites to see? (...)

Can you show me on the map? 

Can you show me on the map? (...)

street 

street (...)

Turn left. 

Turn left. (...)

Turn right. 

Turn right. (...)

left 

left (...)

right 

right (...)

straight ahead 

straight ahead (...)

towards the _____ 

towards the _____ (...)

past the _____ 

past the _____ (...)

before the _____ 

before the _____ (...)

Watch for the _____. 

Watch for the _____. (...)

intersection 

intersection (...)

north 

north (...)

south 

south (...)

east 

east (...)

west 

west (...)

uphill 

uphill (...)

downhill 

downhill (...)

Taxi

Taxi! 

Taxi! (...)

Take me to _____, please. 

Take me to _____, please. (...)

How much does it cost to get to _____? 

How much does it cost to

get to _____? (...)

Take me there, please. 

Take me there, please. (...)

Lodging

Do you have any rooms available? 

Do you have any rooms available? (...)

How much is a room for one person/two people? 

How much is a room for one person/two people? (...)

Does the room come with... 

Does the room come with... (...)

...bedsheets? 

...bedsheets? (...)

...a bathroom? 

...a bathroom? (...)

...a telephone? 

...a telephone? (...)

...a TV? 

...a TV? (...)

May I see the room first? 

May I see the room first? (...)

Do you have anything quieter? 

Do you have anything quieter? (...)

...bigger? 

...bigger? (...)

...cleaner? 

...cleaner? (...)

...cheaper? 

...cheaper? (...)

OK, I'll take it. 

OK, I'll take it. (...)

I will stay for _____ night(s). 

I will stay for _____ night(s). (...)

Can you suggest another hotel? 

Can you suggest another hotel? (...)

Do you have a safe? 

Do you have a safe? (...)

...lockers? 

...lockers? (...)

Is breakfast/supper included? 

Is breakfast/supper included? (...)

What time is breakfast/supper? 

What time is breakfast/supper? (...)

Please clean my room. 

Please clean my room. (...)

Can you wake me at _____? | Can you wake me at _____? (...)

I want to check out. 

I want to check out. (...)

Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? 

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? (...)

Do you accept British pounds? 

Do you accept British pounds? (...)

Do you accept credit cards? 

Do you accept credit cards? (...)

Can you change money for me? 

Can you change money for me? (...)

Where can I get money changed? 

Where can I get money changed? (...)

Can you change a traveler's check for me? 

Can you change a traveler's check for me? (...)

Where can I get a traveler's check changed? 

Where can I get a traveler's check changed? (...)

What is the exchange rate? 

What is the exchange rate? (...)

Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? 

Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? (...)

Eating

A table for one person/two people, please. 

A table for one person/two people, please. (...)

Can I look at the menu, please? 

Can I look at the menu, please? (...)

Can I look in the kitchen? 

Can I look in the kitchen? (...)

Is there a house specialty? 

Is there a house specialty? (...)

Is there a local specialty? 

Is there a local specialty? (...)

I'm a vegetarian. 

I'm a vegetarian. (...)

I don't eat pork. 

I don't eat pork. (...)

I don't eat beef. 

I don't eat beef. (...)

I only ; supper 

supper (...)

I want _____. 

I want _____. (...)

I want a dish containing _____. 

I want a dish containing _____. (...)

chicken 

chicken (...)

beef 

beef (...)

fish 

fish (...)

ham 

ham (...)

sausage 

sausage (...)

cheese 

cheese (...)

eggs 

eggs (jaja)

salad 

salad (...)

(fresh) vegetables 

(fresh) vegetables (...)

(fresh) fruit 

(fresh) fruit (...)

bread 

bread (...)

toast 

toast (...)

noodles 

noodles (...)

rice 

rice (...)

beans 

beans (...)

May I have a glass of _____? 

May I have a glass of _____? (...)

May I have a cup of _____? 

May I have a cup of _____? (...)

May I have a bottle of _____? 

May I have a bottle of _____? (...)

coffee 

coffee (...)

tea (drink) 

tea (...)

juice 

juice (...)

(bubbly) water 

water (...)

water 

water (agua)

beer 

beer (...)

red/white wine 

red/white wine (...)

May I have some _____? 

May I have some _____? (...)

salt 

salt (...)

black pepper 

black pepper (...)

butter 

butter (...)

Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server)

Excuse me, waiter? (...)

I'm finished. 

I'm finished. (...)

It was delicious. 

It was delicious. (...)

Please clear the plates. 

Please clear the plates. (...)

The check, please. 

The check, please. (...)

Shopping

Do you have this in my size? 

Da li imate ovo u mojoj veličini?

How much is this? 

Koliko je ovo?

That's too expensive. 

To je preskupo.

Would you take _____? 

Da li bi uzeli _____?

expensive 

skupo

cheap 

jeftino

I can't afford it. 

Nemogu to priuštiti.

I don't want it. 

Neću to.

You're cheating me. 

Varate me. (polite and formal)

I'm not interested. 

Nisam zainteresovan/zainteresovana.

OK, I'll take it. 

OK, I'll take it. (...)

Can I have a bag? 

Can I have a bag? (...)

Do you ship (overseas)? 

Do you ship (overseas)? (...)

I need... 

I need... (...)

...toothpaste. 

...toothpaste. (...)

...a toothbrush. 

...a toothbrush. (...)

...tampons. 

...tampons. (...)

...soap. 

...soap. (...)

...shampoo. 

...shampoo. (...)

...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) 

...pain reliever. (...)

...cold medicine. 

...cold medicine. (...)

...stomach medicine. 

...stomach medicine. (...)

...a razor. 

...a razor. (...)

...an umbrella. 

...an umbrella. (...)

...sunblock lotion. 

...sunblock lotion. (...)

...a postcard. 

...a postcard. (...)

...postage stamps. 

...postage stamps. (...)

...batteries. 

...batteries. (...)

...writing paper. 

...writing paper. (...)

...a pen. 

...a pen. (...)

...English-language books. 

...English-language books. (...)

...English-language magazines. 

...English-language magazines. (...)

...an English-language newspaper. 

...an English-language newspaper. (...)

...an English-English dictionary. 

...an English-English dictionary. (...)

Driving

I want to rent a car. 

I want to rent a car. (...)

Can I get insurance? 

Can I get insurance? (...)

stop (on a street sign) 

stop (...)

one way 

one way (...)

yield 

yield (...)

no parking 

no parking (...)

speed limit 

speed limit (...)

gas (petrol) station 

gas station (...)

petrol 

petrol (...)

diesel 

diesel (...)

Learning more

This is where you'd give more information on learning the language, such as links to online courses or textbooks, or suggestions for in-person courses to take.

fr:Wikitravel:Données de base d'un guide linguistique de:Wikitravel:Vorlage für Sprachführer